Power distribution units (PDUs) (sometimes referred to as power strips) include electrical ports (sometimes called outlets) that supply power to electrical devices. Some PDUs include network interface circuitry and processing capabilities that allow the PDUs to communicate with other devices over a network. A PDU may respond to commands sent by an external device that direct the PDU to implement certain actions, such as to turn off, turn on, or reboot a particular port. A PDU may also respond to commands sent by an external device that request information from the PDU, such as instantaneous wattage, amperage, or voltage of the PDU, or of one or more ports on the PDU. PDU manufacturers have implemented their own syntaxes for commands, such that syntaxes from different PDU manufacturers differ from one another. Moreover, PDU manufacturers have implemented different communication mechanisms for communicating with PDUs, such that communicating with PDUs from different PDU manufacturers requires different communication mechanisms.